Page 6 of Angels Don’t Date

He stared at me while the weight of his disapproval drowned me in cold, miserable anguish. “And this was captured on video?”

“Maybe.” I flinched when his eyes bore into me. “Yes. I went to meet the tenor, Monterose Fellicci, and he was so nice. He actually did a duet with me, and it was so fun! I posted it on my wall, and I got two new followers!”

He sighed heavily. “You’re still doing social media?”

“Of course. I have a whole plan, how I’m going to get a following and then have a cottage in a sunny garden somewhere. Not that the night garden isn’t great, but it’s more gothic princess than pastel princess.”

He blinked at me, then narrowed his eyes. “You have many talents and skills, but you want to be a…what do they call them?”

“Influencer,” Mini said helpfully, before shoving a bite of liver-biscuits in her green face.

“I’m a little tired of being a lab assistant, or translating dead languages,” I said in a very small voice, feeling guilty for all the years, effort, and time he’d put into teaching me what he loved. It felt like betrayal. “Maybe I’ll like it better after I’ve had a break. I’ve been interpreting and measuring chemicals my whole life. I want to try something new.”

“While the world is watching?”

I shrugged. “Why not share my life with the world? I’m alive. What else is being a born vampire good for?”

He nodded like he’d made an important discovery. “Run up to the library and stay with Libby until I’ve found the root of the evil that seeks you. She’ll take you to Anna, or better yet, have the Grand Sorcerer come to you. The café is closed. Mini, lock up after you’re finished.”

She raised her fork in a salute while I followed the Scholar down the main hall to the elevator behind the steel and silver-twined bars. I felt like a puppy that had been yelled at, even though the Scholar never raised his voice. He opened the door and gestured me in, still holding the assassin by the throat.

I wanted to say something, to apologize for running off to Apple City without letting my guardian know, but I also wanted to tell him that I was practically fifty years old and couldn’t stay locked up forever. But with immortals like him, forever wasn’t hypothetical.

I stepped into the elevator and the doors snapped shut, right before a knife came out of nowhere, aiming for my throat. It didn’t reach my skin because my guardian’s malevolent darkness dissolved the knife, then oozed around me, smelling so sharply of oranges, my eyes watered.

The elevator rose, and the clouds of darkness followed, surrounding me until I reached the library.

The doors opened and there was Libby, grasping a large tome in both hands while she glowered, as terrifying in her own way as The Scholar.

“What seems to be the trouble?” Libby said, then her focus went to my hand with its blackened fingers.

“Silver burn. The Scholar wondered if you could ask the Grand Sorcerer to check it out. It’s not a big deal, but you know how he worries.”

“Silver burn from a bullet?” She raised a brow, and while her voice didn’t rise, I shivered anyway.

“Yes. And there was a knife as well. Apparently someone put up a death order for me on all the respectable assassin forums.”

She looked around the broad marble hall, with crystal chandeliers tinkling above, and then shifted her grasp on the books and took my arm. “You had two assassination attempts in the last five minutes? In that case, we’ll go to my office.”

Her office wasn’t very interesting. It was in the center of the library and had no windows, just a fireplace and a very large desk as well as rows of filing cabinets. She had me sit on one side of her desk while she paced, texting and scrolling on her phone while I sat there. Well, I could text too.

I pulled open my app, and then checked my post, the one of my duet. I blinked at the views. Five million views since this morning? Impossible. I almost dropped my phone when I saw the number of followers. Over five hundred thousand. From five to five hundred thousand? Impossible. Those numbers were more startling than the assassination attempts. I mean, how dead could I ever really get? But this? Overnight stardom? Not even overnight. Midmorning stardom.

My message box was overflowing. So many messages that ran the spectrum to being excited about princess core to vulgar males. SunRae had left a few messages.

Your duet was amazing! I can’t believe you actually went to Apple City! So brave!

How are you holding up under the weight of so much popularity?!

I made a cake to commemorate your duet!

Attached was the prettiest little cake with a mini decal of Monterose and my silhouettes in orange frosting with little mini carrots around the edge.

She probably used too many exclamation points, but I kind of loved it, like I loved the cake.

I messaged back.

That cake is absolutely divine! How are you so talented? Yes! The duet was life-changing! I still can’t believe it happened.